Waukesha County

Killer Wapp found dead in prison cell

Waukesha - A 31-year-old man imprisoned last year for killing a Waukesha woman was found dead in his cell last week, the state Department of Corrections said.

David A. Wapp was sentenced in June 2010 to life in prison with no possibility for parole for stabbing his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Peterson to death on Sept. 5, 2009.

Wapp was found unresponsive in his cell the morning of Nov. 8 at Waupun Correctional Institution, said Tim Le Monds, a Department of Corrections spokesman.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital later that afternoon, Le Monds said.

A preliminary assessment shows there was no foul play, Le Monds said. But an official cause of death is dependent on autopsy and toxicology test results, which are expected in a couple of weeks, he said.

Wapp stabbed and cut Peterson 37 times in the chest, neck and arms after the two quarreled in a car outside the Waukesha home of Wapp's aunt.

A jury in April 2010 took less than 30 minutes to find him guilty of first-degree intentional homicide.

Wapp, who had a long and violent criminal record, killed Peterson, 21, just four days after he got out of prison.

In 2003, Wapp was convicted of child abuse-intentionally causing harm and carrying a concealed weapon, according to court records.

He was sentenced to four years in prison and four years of extended supervision in that case.

After serving his prison term, Wapp, of Mukwonago, was sent back to prison for violating the terms of his extended supervision.